Individual Food Plan and Exercise

I did a personal food plan and exercise program that combined all of the individual actions that worked from each of the best weight loss plans I had used over the decades. I shopped at a health food store, so I ate no white flour or white sugar (both of which are chemically processed and create food cravings!). I ate protein, vegetables, and a minimum of whole grain breads at each meal. And I power walked 4.15 miles every day.

I have always been overweight, I have spent a lifetime searching for the best weight loss plan for me. I have done–starting in my pre-adolescent years–yogurt and granola, skim milk and banana, cabbage soup, Weight Watchers (three times), Jenny Craig, Dr. Atkins, The Zone, the Hilton Head, the Suzanne Somers, and numerous other plans. I went with low fat, low-carb, went with the body-type diet, and onto the grey sheet of the 12-step program, Overeater’s Anonymous.

As they say in another twelve-step program, “Take what you need and leave the rest.” Study and try out what each diet promoter announces is the best weight loss plan, but then use what works for you from each one. Yes, it will take months, even years, but it is worth it if you want the best weight loss results four you. In other words, it works if you work it!

As for the exercise, yuck, I first tricked myself into getting out there, walking one city block (one-tenth of a mile) and back the first day. The next day, I did two city blocks. The next day after that, three, and so on, until I was not only out there walking for over an hour but waking up in the morning craving the movement, the air, the head rush (or endorphin rush). I also listened to music with a perfect, driving, motivating beat and with lyrics that kept my mind occupied. as for me, exercise was boring because there was nothing to think about, nothing for my brain to feed on when walking around an oval track for instance, or doing repetitive, dull sit ups or whatnot.

Is there really a “best” weight loss system? Is there one that is the fastest? Is there one that is hella cheap and still super effective? Since I have given up on “dieting,” I can only recall the many weight reduction attempts I made and which of those I would have considered the best weight loss methods. Then again, I wonder if what is best is what works for the individual–and hence the reason we have so many possibilities, so many variations on the same goal.